Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Culture, was saddened to learn of the passing of the dancer, dancer and dance teacher, Milena Salvini, who actively contributed to the promotion of Indian arts in France.
After training in dance, mime, musical writing at the Conservatoire and studies at the U.I.T. which opened her up to world performances, she discovered the Kathakali in 1963 and devoted most of her life to it.
First a grant from the Government of India, then through missions for UNESCO, the Theatre of Nations and the Ministry of Culture, she carries out field work to present for the first time outside India Kathakali, Kûtiyâttam and Kalarippayat, on the occasion of international tours and Grandes Nuits at the Théâtre du Soleil/Cartoucherie. In 1975, she created the MANDAPA centre with her husband, Roger Filipuzzi, a stage open to world performances and teaching that has become a reference point for Indian performing arts.
She and he are the authors of films about the Kathakali, and the Kûtiyâttam (UNESCO-CID Prize) presented in April 2015 at the Musée des arts asiatiques - Guimet in Paris. She publishes various texts on the dances of India and Kathakali, notably for the CNRS or UNESCO and collaborates on the Dictionnaire du théâtre (Bordas/Larousse) and the Dictionnaire universel des créateurs (Editions des Femmes).
In 2019, his work was crowned by Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civil honour.
Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin extends her sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.